Sixth Form Life

9 Things You’ll Hear in Sixth Form

Once you hit sixth form something weird happens. You suddenly become the ‘older ones’, you’re respected by the Year 7s, wear non uniform and teachers start treating you differently. You’ve become an overnight adult, but instead of bills you have to deal with exams.

If there’s one thing that both teachers and family members like to remind you of, it’s that you’re now in sixth form. It’s almost like they don’t think you realise this and that you need telling constantly.

This sentence will be mainly uttered at you if you’re being slightly mischievous, forgotten your homework or generally just getting on your teacher’s nerves. It’s meant to make you feel immature and make you act more responsibly, but you’ll just end up feeling like you’re being told something fairly obvious and will make you doubt your teacher’s intelligence.

Your university application is important, and with a strict deadline to hit and only a few months to complete it, you’re going to hear about it...a lot.

From suggestions about what to include to constant reminders about upcoming deadlines, we won’t be surprised if you end up dreaming about applications. Or having nightmares about them, however you wish to see it.

Other formats of this sentence include, "How much of your application have you done", "Would you like me to read any of your application" and "Please remove that sentence from your application, it’s not as funny as you think it is".

Teachers aren’t stupid, they know that despite their best intentions to get you to work and revise on your free periods, there’ll always be students bringing in decks of cards and setting up their own casino in the canteen or sixth form common room.

So on a frequent basis you will hear, "please stop playing cards", followed by, "please, please put those cards away", swiftly followed by, "that’s it, give me the cards".

This will normally be followed by, "just because it’s a free period it doesn’t mean that..."

You haven’t got long left in school now, so all your teachers will want to make sure you remember how amazing they were, and how much you learnt from their particular subject.

Not only do they want you to inspire you, but when you go on to be a massive success, they also like to think you’ll tell everyone how amazing their classes were, which will then inspire a movie and they’ll become famous and can give up teaching forever.

What, you didn’t think that you’d lose lines like this just because you’re in sixth form did you?

Some things never change, and when the class gets rowdy or when someone doesn’t do their homework for no reason, the classic lines about how you’re wasting your own time, that they’re not angry, just disappointed and how you’ll never reach your potential if you keep behaving like this will start coming out.

Nobody's perfect, and so sometimes the essays, revision and social life can get on top of you and you have to ask the dreaded question, "can I have an extension please".

And yes, even in sixth form, this will be your teacher’s reply. Normally accompanied with an eating wasp nest face, low eyebrows and a disapproving tone, before giving you the extension, albeit begrudgingly.

Just so you know, this one is a total lie. Universities will give extensions should you need it. But don’t say that to the teachers, that won’t go down well.

If you’re lucky enough to be at a sixth form that allows you to wear non-uniform now, you may get a few reminders here and there about appropriate clothing.

During the winter months you’ll be told to remove hats, coats and gloves at every opportunity, and during the summer you’ll be told to wear longer, baggier and generally less summer-like clothing. It’s like they think you’ve never dressed in casual clothing before...

Sorry, just because you’re in sixth form doesn’t mean the rules no longer apply. You’ll still be told to turn off your phone, spit out your gum and stop talking so much. In fact you’ll probably be told that at uni, in work and generally in life. Soz.

As well as reminders about university applications, you’ll be unsurprised to know that you’ll be hearing about exams a fair bit too!

Even though exams might be months away when you first enter sixth form, it won’t stop your teachers, parents and the family pet reminding you about them. How you need to revise (even though you haven’t learnt anything yet), how you need to take lessons seriously for the exams and how you need to work hard etc etc...you get the gist.

Whether you’re months, weeks or days away from exams, we’re here to help should you need us too.